Friday, 8 March 2013

"It is safe to proclaim there is a legitimacy to political violence"Craig Scott Rosebraugh, spokesman for the Earth Liberation Front 1997- 2001"one of the most horrific terrorist organizations in planetary history."Craig Scott Rosebraugh (on the U.S. Government in a congressional testimony) All over he world, people have lost interest in the global warming hoax. No wonder the alarmists are getting desperate. The latest alarmist "documentary", with actress and "environmental activist" Daryl Hannah as executive producer, is called "Greedy Lying Bastards", and pretends to be "an exposé of climate-change deniers and their oil-industry backers". Not surprisingly, most reviewers in the politically correct alarmist main stream media have welcomed this "documentary". However, what they all "forget", is to tell their readers what kind of a person the director of the film, Craig Scott Rosebraugh, is.A few years ago Rosebraugh wrote a book, "Burning Rage of a Dying PlanetSpeaking for The Earth Liberation Front". This is how the publisher,Lantern Books, specializing in "general, non-fiction trade books on vegetarianism, animal advocacy, environmentalism, religion, and social justice", introduces the author:

Craig Rosebraugh was a spokesman for the Earth Liberation Front from its inception in 1997 to September 2001. In February 2002, he was called to testify before Congress, where he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 50 times. Rosebaugh has appeared in numerous publications, such as the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, National Geographic, and others, and has written for Earth First!, No Compromise, and other radical journals. He lives in Tempe, Arizona.

Rosebraugh's publisher also offers this information about the organization for which he was a spokesperson:

The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) has been active in the United States officially since 1997, causing more than $45 million in damages to various entities. As the organization continues to grow and expand its range of targets, ELF has taken an extreme position against individuals, corporations, and governments that, in the organization's view, places monetary gain ahead of the natural environment. Rejecting state sanctioned means of legal protest, ELF uses economic sabotage to inflict financial suffering on those deemed objectionable.

In February 2002, the FBI listed the ELF as the largest and most active US-based terrorist group. Although no one has died in any of these operations, ELF's campaign against loggers, SUV dealerships, and others it considers threats to the planet have galvanized and polarized the environmental movement.

In reference of the legitimacy of political violence, often times, in the minds of those arguing for and/or committing the acts themselves, there is a belief that the decision to resort to violence comes from sound reasoning. Additionally, political violence has a long documented history globally, as a practice which has and continues to play a role in political activity. For these reasons alone, it is safe to proclaim there is a legitimacy to political violence. This is not an effort to condone or condemn it at this point, rather to create a realistic analysis of the controversial subject.

No one in their right mind wants to use or resort to violence at any time during their lives. Instead, it is honestly more desirable to petition for peace, and have the luxury and privilege to engage in the respectable means verses ends debate. That said, it is also a matter of realism to state that it is impossible to have peace without justice. In pursuing justice, when nonviolent means of social and political change have been exhausted, one is left with the choice to advance tactics to a level of political violence or to do nothing

The question, how long is one supposed to wait to see if a particular tactic is going to be effective, is an important one but is also relative to each situation. For example, middle class citizens of the United States, of the leftist or liberal persuasion, arguably have far more time to debate tactics and experiment with strategies on general progressive “issues” than say a member of the PLO, who rightfully believes that Palestinians are in an immediate and desperate struggle for their lives and sovereignty against Israel.